The Last Ship – Theatre Royal Drury Lane

There is a compelling musical somewhere inside ‘The Last Ship’. Its story of a Wallsend shipbuilding community facing the closure of its yard has all the ingredients for a powerful night of theatre, threatened livelihoods, fierce loyalty and the question of what remains when the work that defines a place disappears. Yet, despite its ambition and considerable scale, this production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane left us admiring what we could see far more than we cared about what happened.

Visually, it is remarkable, stunning in fact. Jenny Melville’s immense set makes imaginative use of the theatre’s vast stage, establishing the shipyard as both a workplace and the centre of a community’s identity, dominated by the constant presence of the massive ship, Utopia. Adam Bassett’s lighting gives the space atmosphere and depth, while the animations directed by Matt Taylor, and video, designed by Benjamin Pearcy are beautiful. Together, these elements make the yard feel active and imposing, and some of the evening’s most memorable moments come from watching the stage transform around the performers.

Unfortunately, that creative achievement also exposes the show’s central weakness, the production can create a convincing world, but it struggles to draw us close to the people within it. The scale of ‘The Last Ship’ frequently works against the intimacy the story needs, and as the cast move through this enormous setting, the personal consequences of the yard’s closure should become more urgent. Instead, too many scenes seem to pass at a distance, leaving a gap between the characters’ personal journey and the audience’s response.

Several performers do their best to close the gap, Jackie Morrison is particularly impressive as Peggy White, bringing grit, strength, tenderness and a sense of lived experience to her scenes. She gives Peggy a presence that holds its own against the spectacle surrounding her. Declan Bennett also makes a strong impression as Gideon; he has a natural connection with the audience and brings an emotional openness that makes his character easy to follow. Alongside Frances McNamee’s Meg, he finds a persuasive sense of shared history, and their scenes offer some of the clearest glimpses of the affecting musical this could be.

The difficulty is sustaining that connection throughout the lengthy production, just as a relationship or conflict begins to gather force, a musical number arrives that does little to advance it. There are of course promising passages in Sting’s score, and the company performs with commitment, but some songs simply do not land in the way the drama requires and are gobbled up by the vastness of what this production wanted to achieve. They express the importance of loss and belonging without always making those feelings specific to the characters in front of us, and by the time the story asks for a strong emotional response, the production has not consistently earned one.

Sting’s presence is, of course, a major attraction. As Jackie White, he brings an unmistakable identity to the stage, and his connection to the world that inspired the musical is clear, but being a compelling musician and commanding a musical theatre role demand different things. His performance is too restrained to give Jackie the dramatic weight he needs. Unfortunately, Morrison, as his on-stage wife, brings more truth and immediacy to their scenes together, which makes the imbalance especially noticeable.

Shaggy’s appearance as the Wallsend Ferryman is an even greater disappointment. His performance felt hammy, and the audience struggled to understand much of what he said or sang. Diction matters in any musical, but particularly in a role that helps carry the audience through the story. Here, rather than adding energy or insight, his presence repeatedly pulled us out of it and casting him in this part feels like a serious error of judgement.

‘The Last Ship’ is an impressive technical achievement with excellent work from Morrison, Bennett and McNamee. It has the setting, subject and performers to become something genuinely moving, but for now, its beautiful images cannot fill the emotional void at its centre. On one of the West End’s grandest stages, the show looks entirely at home; as a piece of musical theatre, it still has considerable work to do before the ship can set sail.

‘The Last Ship’ continues its run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 3^rd October 2026, tickets can be found at https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/the-last-ship

Reviewer: Alan Stuart Malin

Reviewed: 23^rd September 2026

North West End UK Rating: